Riding holiday for adult (very) novice?

[Pleasedontdothat]

Can anyone recommend somewhere to go for a riding holiday for a relative beginner?
I rode (badly) as a child and then had a massive gap before starting lessons again last year. Obviously with various lockdowns lessons have been very stop-start which hasn’t helped. Before the latest lockdown I’d got to the point of trotting confidently and cantering with a kind horse and a following wind (ie very much a work in progress). However I don’t feel I’m making much progress with one half an hour lesson a week but private lessons are too expensive for more. My goal is to get good enough to be able to hack out our semi-retired boy (if he’s sound later on this year). I was wondering if going on a week’s riding holiday would help kickstart me again? I’m not looking for a trekking type place, more somewhere which does a mixture of arena-based lessons and supervised hacks. I’m 5’7” and 10.5 stone so not tiny but not huge either so don’t need a weight carrier and I’m in my 50s so no longer bounce!

I’ve heard some good reviews about this place www.sheanshorsefarm.com/

Also have a look at the Glen Tanar estate in the highlands. I grew up a stones throw from there there is a good riding school and self catering accommodation. So you could stay on site and have a few lessons and hacks while there. The hacking is genuinely incredible. Dont know if they do a package but the lady who owns the estate is nice and am sure she would sort something out for you.

If you want to learn to hack out, wpuld you be interested in learning to ride outside the school? Will give you much more confidence over uneven ground etc. I have heard good things about the FreeRein learn to ride programme: you are basically taught to ride while out hacking and learn to be confident outside the school from the get go.

www.free-rein.co.uk/learn-to-ride/

Talland , Ford Farm in New Forest. Wellington which is near Reading.

I think my daughter and I are going to try Adventure Clydesdale on Dartmoor. I have been in touch and they seem welcoming and knowledgeable. I know the scenery is wonderful to ride in. Hope this helps.

Ooh, watching with interest. I am in the same position (except no horse - but that’s the plan). I’ve been very much missing my riding lessons and like you @Pleasedontdothat I find one (or two) half hour lessons a week just isn’t enough. I’m getting too old to spend years learning to ride! I need more intensive training. But I’m a wuss and I also don’t bounce so it has to be the right environment.

The only thing I would say about Adventure Clydesdale is that they are big horses in very open spaces. Although they cater for novices it might not quite be the thing for the OP yet.

Thanks for the suggestions. I’m waiting to hear back from Wellington as they’re not too far. Dd has dressage schoolmaster lessons at Talland so even though they cater for beginners it would be too intimidating!

The Free Rein option looks interesting but I’m wondering how much I’d really learn on what’s effectively a trekking pony - I’ve been on treks before and basically the horse decided when to walk and trot and I had very little say in the matter...

I’m not too sure about Clydesdales - not a fan of heavy horses and I don’t think my hips would cope!

Has anyone got any feedback about the Island Riding Centre on the Isle of Wight?

I’ve not done the Freerein learn to ride holiday, but I have done other guided trips with them and found that while obviously there’s an element of the horses knowing where they are they have enough different routes that it’s not ‘I always trot by this tree and then I stop by this gate and you can do what you like but I’m not going to listen’ - I think it helps that they only do multi-day trips.

I ;would suggest Stonetrail riding, in Cumbria. They do a ride called the Lady Anne Ride which is for nervous and new riders. Alison Muir, the owner, really looks after you and will pair you with a perfect match from her lovely herd. The accommodation is very good and you can enjoy jolly evenings at one of the local pubs with your fellow riders. I went three years ago for that ride and back with m husband for another holiday 2 years ago ( we went riding on retired racehorses in Assam for our next break, so you can see it works)
here There is some lovely stuff on their Facebook page too.

I've been on a free-rein holiday, it was good fun, you were still challenged by the horses even if they did know where they were going.

I did a riding holiday with these guys www.murthwaitegreen.co.uk/ - they built the day up as a mix of lessons and beach rides.

At the time it was organized by a company called Equestrian Escapes, but it looks like Equestrian Escapes have massively reduced the number of stables they deal with.